Reset
by Sully-van
Summary: When their Captain and his older brother go missing, the Straw Hat Pirates aren't expecting to find them as children. The crew must find a way to revert the two back to normal, but that is something easier said than done.
1. Discovery

**Notes/Warnings:** Hello! I'm finally getting around to posting this and I'm pretty excited about it! A rather cliché idea, I know, but what can ya do.

If you're looking for romantic pairings, you won't be getting any, sorry. There will however be plenty to Nakamaship and brotherly Ace/Luffy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: Discovery**

* * *

It all started, Nami supposed, when Ace came to visit.

Whenever he did, Luffy tended to be even happier and more energetic than usual; a feat the crew didn't even think possible until they had met the older brother.

Unlike Alabasta, Luffy had managed to convince Ace to spend the night, much too Luffy's utter delight.

They stayed close together and even decided to explore the abandoned island; which mainly seemed to be forest, that they had docked at just minutes before.

"It's fine; I'll watch over him and make sure he doesn't get into anything too dangerous. You don't have to worry." Ace reassured, watching his baby brother dance around while chanting "Pirate lunch box! Pirate lunch box!" with a very fond smile on his lips and a warm expression in his eyes.

Somehow, Nami wasn't completely reassured and neither was Usopp. The navigator and sniper shared a look before turning back to the Whitebeard pirate.

"It's not that we don't trust you,"

"But we're talking about Luffy here."

Ace seemed to find that a little too funny for their liking, but continued to attempt to reassure them. Until Luffy jumped on his brother's back, that is; wrapping his arms tightly around Ace's neck, and urging him to go explore because he had the lunchboxes and there wasn't any time to waste.

"We'll be back in time for lunch!" or so Ace had said, jumping off of the ship railing and walking off into the dense forest, securing Luffy's position on his back.

Really, they shouldn't have let the two brothers set off alone.

Every one knew something was up when Sanji made the lunch calls and Luffy nor Ace appeared.

It was more bizarre than anything, almost scary, because the crew as a whole understood perfectly well that both Luffy and Ace loved food more than anything and that the lunchboxes wouldn't have held off their hunger for long.

"Maybe they got lost and were found by cannibalistic natives." Robin suggested.

"YOU AREN'T HELPING!"

* * *

"Sanji-kun, Chopper, Robin, and Brook will go look for Luffy and Ace, while Franky, Usopp, Zoro, and I will stay on the ship, is that clear?"

"YES, NAMI-SWAN! After we find those shitty idiots I'll make you the most delicious snack from my love!"

"It'll probably taste shitty, then."

"WHAT WAS THAT, MARIMO?!"

"You heard me, Ero-cook."

Nami sighs and drags her hand down her face, intervening before a brawl can break out. "Sanji-kun, can you just go find them?"

"Of course, Nami-dear!" The chef replies, eyes gleaming before turning to Robin. "Robin-chwan, would you like me to carry you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. We'll return as soon as possible."

Nami sighs once more, but this time out of relief. At least she has _some_ people she can count on.

* * *

"No luck, Chopper?"

The reindeer shakes his head and continues to sniff the air. "They were here but... their scents just disappeared. Almost like... They vanished."

The four Straw Hat pirates keep quiet for a moment; Chopper kicking at the ground, Robin looking into the distance, Sanji lighting another cigarette, and Brook looking up into the trees, worry effectively etched into his face somehow.

"Where do you think they are?" Chopper asks now in walk point, eyes darting around the large forest, reminding him of their time in Skypiea. The reindeer hoped that this wouldn't end up being another situation like that.

"Who knows. Shitty captain gets lost almost as easy as the shitty mosshead." Sanji says, rolling his eyes with flourish.

"Luffy-san! Ace-san!" Brook calls out almost melodically "Where are you? You missed lunch!"

Silence once again greeted the four pirates.

"Let's go in further." Robin says, taking the lead and crossing her arms over her chest, making eyes pop up around areas in the forest.

The deeper they went, there was still no sign of their captain and his brother.

Really, if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes (sans Brook, of course) or if Chopper hadn't smelled them, they would have thought that the two hadn't even entered the forest to begin with. The forest was completely devoid of people, not counting them, and all there seemed to be were the bugs that skittered along.

Robin accepted the hand Sanji extended to her and was pulled up onto the log.

But then Chopper gasps and jumps over the log.

"I...I think I found them! They smell different, but its them!"

The only woman in the group crosses her arms, a small gasp escaping her lips after a moment, her face otherwise calm.

"Its them," Robin wasted no time, jumping off of the log and going in further with Chopper, neither answering Brook or Sanji when they call out for her.

The men easily followed the two who wove through trees expertly at a quick pace before abruptly stopping, nearly causing Brook to run into Sanji.

Robin's eyebrows are furrowed slightly, Sanji curses, and Brook and Chopper cry out in confusion.

In between two trees is an unconscious Ace and Luffy, leaning heavily on one another.

However, the Ace and Luffy before them were clearly not the ones that had left the ship earlier on in the day.

* * *

"So, you're saying that somehow Luffy and Ace managed to get themselves turned into their younger selves."

"We can't be certain until they awake, but yes, that does seem to be what has occurred."

Nami groans and buries her face in her hands, eyes wide with disbelief. If she hadn't seen both figures for herself when they were being carried on deck, she would have dismissed it easily. But she _had_ seen. "We shouldn't have let them go alone."

The crew sits in the galley, except Chopper, who is tending to their seemingly younger captain and his brother in the infirmary.

"How is it even possible?" Usopp asked, fiddling with his hands nervously. "A devil fruit?"

Robin places her tea cup back in its saucer and looks at the way, as if she can see through Sunny and into the forest.

The group that had gone into the forest had unanimously decided that they needed to bring both brothers back to the ship as quickly as possible, so they hadn't had time at all to explore the forest for whatever had turned the two smaller.

"I'm not sure, but it was certainly something. We'll have to go back to the forest and investigate once they wake up."

An unnatural silence hangs in the air, only to be broken when Zoro grunts and stands up.

"We can't do anything about it now. Don't dwell on it."

Nami scoffs. "Our captain has been turned into a kid and you're telling us not to worry?"

Before Zoro can answer, the door to the galley opens and everyone looks at Chopper standing in the doorway, looking a bit confused and concerned.

"I examined them better; their bodies are at least seven years younger than before... I'm not sure about mentally... We'll have to wait until they wake up. They aren't showing any signs of waking up soon, though. Also, theyre both hurt and... They aren't exactly healthy."

"So Luffy and Ace are what... twelve and.. fifteen?"

"Most likely... I-I have no idea how. There isn't any disease or disorder that makes the body younger... I just don't know." Chopper tugs at his hat with his hoofs, hiding teary eyes full of concern.

Sanji walks over in the thick silence that lingers and kneels down, gently removing Chopper's hands from his hat, handing him a glass of tea he had prepared.

"We'll figure it out Chopper. I hate to admit it, but the grass-head said something worth while for once. Worrying and panicking about this isn't going to get us anywhere. We'll find out a way to fix things; don't we usually?" The cook grins at the doctor as reassuringly as he can.

Chopper stares at Sanji before nodding frantically.

The rest of the crew smiles or grins and they all vow to find a way to get their captain and his brother back to normal anyway they can.

Zoro taps Chopper on his hat as he walks past, but the smile on his lips is clear to the others, even if his back is turned.

* * *

Ace is awake before he even realizes it. When he does, he wishes he hadn't because of the soft, comfortable bedding underneath him.

Which is weird in itself because he couldn't remember falling asleep, not to mention falling asleep in a bed. Okay, so maybe him falling asleep at random wasn't weird by now, but still.

Something inside of him tells him that something isn't right and he realizes that he can't hear Luffy. Sleeping or not, his younger brother made sounds at most times. Was Luffy gone? The thought made uneasiness settle in his stomach.

His eyes slowly blink open and he nearly jumps out of his skin, the uneasiness increasing ten fold.

Pristine white walls surround him, medical equipment scattered all around his vision. A desk is at the far corner near a door, where an unfamiliar green-haired man is sitting on the floor, seemingly asleep.

Where was he? Had something happened? And more importantly, where was Luffy?

Ace's last question is answered quickly enough.

Soft almost inaudible, snoring meets his ears and Ace's head snaps in the direction, where he sees Luffy in a small bed next to his; still too big for the rubber boy.

Luffy has bandages wrapped around his head and some on his nose and cheeks, causing a surge of protectiveness to rise because Luffy hadn't been that hurt when he had last seen him and whoever had harmed his little brother had to be dealt with it. His straw hat was on the desk next to the green haired man.

Ace looks back at the green haired man, wary. Had he been the one to hurt Luffy? Faintly he could feel bandages on himself, even registering a little pain.

Already he could tell this man was strong; the three swords at his hip, muscles, and the way he held himself even when sleeping told him so.

Sheets rustle and Ace looks over again to see Luffy squirming under and quickly getting tangled in the covers that cover his small body a little too effectively.

Tense situation or not, Ace's lips cannot help but twitch into a small smile at the sight.

Luffy was such a dork.

Ace waits for Luffy's dark blue eyes to open. The eleven year old blinks sleepily, before he notices Ace, every part of his body lighting up in response.

"Ace! Good morning!" He smiles up at Ace, sitting up. Before Ace can say anything to quiet him, Luffy looks around the unfamiliar room that has the older brother on edge.

"Eh? Where are we? Who're you Ossan?"

Ace's head snaps up, only to see unfamiliar brown eyes watching his every movement.

* * *

"They tried to swing their swords at me, but the king's army was no match for the great Usopp-sama! I defeated all of the forces in under two minutes; including my monologue! The king saw what I had done and he abdicated without further struggle! The civilians decided it was only natural that I be made next king!"

"Wow, really?! All when you were nine?!" Chopper asks, eyes shining in complete awe.

"Never knew that about you, Usopp-bro. That's SUPER!" Franky plays along, sitting on the deck next to Robin's lawn chair, tinkering with a small invention.

Usopp nods wisely, rubbing at his chin. "Mhm, mhm. I'm still the king to this very day."

Robin chuckles as she listens to the snipers tall tale, hands resting on her lap.

Nami sighs quietly, but the fondness on her face is clear as she flips to the next page in the newspaper. Usopp had been the only one able to convince Chopper to take a break and to let Zoro watch over Luffy and Ace.

It had been roughly a day since they had discovered the two brothers in the forest and ever since Chopper had barely left the infirmary. Luckily though, Usopp had caught him right after lunch and dragged him on deck to tell him one of his stories.

"Now, did I ever tell you about the time I-"

A loud crash cuts Usopp off, all members on deck sitting up in alert.

The sound had come from the infirmary.

Chopper is up first, as expected. He switches to walk point and is gone from the deck in two seconds flat. The other four follow without hesitation, dropping everything.

"What's wrong?!" Chopper asks, throwing the door to the infirmary open after switching back to Brain point. He felt as if his heart had jumped all the way to his throat, even if he knew it wasn't medically possible.

The young doctor freezes in the doorway, aware of his nakama skidding to a stop behind him.

In the infirmary, Zoro sits at the doorway, looking calm. He doesn't even bother to look at the group, more focused on the other two in the room.

The two that had previously been sleeping the day away without a sign of waking up.

One of the beds is turned over on its side; explaining the loud crash. Both boys are standing up; the younger looking Ace standing in front of the younger looking Luffy - as if to protect him from them. Luffy is looking at the group with innocent curiousity shining in those familiar, yet different owlish eyes.

In contrast, Ace is looking back and forth from Zoro to them with a glare that could peel paint.

"Who are you?! Where are we?!"

Nami felt something drop in her stomach and a thought that was becoming familiar to her raced through her mind.

They really, really shouldn't have let them go off on their own.

* * *

**Notes**: Chapter 1... Done! I'm really excited to write this story and updates should come out every week or two! Chapter 2 has already been written, so expect new chapter around next sunday or monday!

I checked for mistakes, but being on my sloooow phone I can't notice everything, so if you noticed any please tell me if you can! Also, I'd appreciate any reviews telling how you like this so far :)!

See you later~ - Sully


	2. Awake

**Notes/Warnings:** Hi! Here is the next chapter! I just really wanna thank all of you guys for the favorites and feedback! I'm really glad you guys seem to be liking this story so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

OH! Last time I made a mistake! Ace d Luffy are actually seven or so years into te future! didn't mention the setting for this fic, but its** post timeskip**. It's an AU in which Ace survived Marineford. I should have mentioned that last chapter cause its kind of important, but I have the attention span the size of an ant, so...

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: Awake**

* * *

If they had been lesser people, the crew would have flinched away from the glare Ace was giving them.

The room is silent after Ace asks his questions, the tension growing by the second.

Chopper slowly takes a step closer to the brothers, causing a reaction from Ace. The teen bares his teeth and throws his arms out to pull Luffy closer into him, every inch of his body screaming at them that he was ready to attack if necessary.

"We aren't going to hurt you two," Chopper puts his hoofs up in front of him, trying to assuage the teen's anger.

Ace's glare falters just momentarily at the sight of the talking Tanuki before intensifying.

Luffy gasps in wonder and grasps at the hem of Ace's shirt, tugging at the fabric. "Ace, that Tanuki just talked! Do you think we can eat it?!"

"I'M A REINDEER NOT A TANUKI! AND YOU CAN'T EAT ME!" Chopper realizes that he shouldn't have yelled after the fact and covers his mouth with his hooves as Ace looks absolutely primal.

Wisely, Robin decides its time to step in. She walks closer, standing next to Chopper; her face calm and expressionless. Ace's eyes follow her every move.

"You're on the Thousand Sunny: our ship. We are the Straw Hat pirates, our captain is Monkey D. Luffy."

"Eh?" Their smaller captain cuts in, wide eyes blinking. Ace looks taken back. "But I'm not a captain yet."

"That's because, for reasons we are not aware of, you two were changed into children when you went into the forest. We found you two as you were and brought you back on board."

"Oh," Luffy blinks and smiles up at Robin. "Okay!"

It seemed to be that their captain didn't change a bit with age, causing certain members of the crew to sigh or shake their heads with fondness.

Ace, however, clearly changed a lot since he was a child.

"That's bullshit!" Ace seeths. "Just because he'll believe everything under the sun doesn't mean I will!"

"It's the truth." Zoro speaks up, eyes boring into Ace's, causing a reaction in the silent seconds that go by.

Somehow, something in the never blinking gaze had managed to convince Ace of _something._

They can all see that Ace still doesn't believe them, but he's at least reluctantly willing to listen to them.

"Follow us and we'll explain everything we know." Nami reassures.

Ace is still tense and has a wary look in his eye, but he nods and grasps Luffy's wrist tight, who doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Hey, do you have food?" He asks Chopper, who is closest to him in height. Really, no one expected their captain to be so _short_ when he was younger.

The reindeer is about to answer, when the last two members of the crew decide to show up.

* * *

Sanji had been in the middle of making today's dinner when he hears a loud crash from the infirmary.

The blond chef jumps at the sudden sound and is automatically alert. He's about to run out of the kitchen when the oven dings.

Sanji curses lowly and hurries to turn the oven off; not wanting to waste food by letting the three pastries burn. He turns the oven off and takes the pastries, placing them on the counter.

The cook reaches for the door that opens up a small passage to the sick bay. Without hesitation, he slams the door to the sick bay open.

Sanji is greeted with the sight of his crew, plus his younger captain and his brother, as he expected. The only difference, however, was that the two smaller boys were now awake and on their feet.

Luffy stands a few feet away from Sanji - next to his brother and across from Chopper. He's much smaller than before; not that he was the tallest guy around in the first place. His clothes are ones they had borrowed from Chopper, bandaids peeking out of the clothing. He still has the small scar under his eye and the straw hat planted on his head, looking much bigger than ever before and like it was going to slide over his eyes any second.

Wide blue eyes blink and look up at Sanji before his body is pulled back and a younger Ace comes into view.

The younger freckled teen glares at Sanji sharply and holds his little brother closer to him, eyes darting back to the rest of the crew momentarily.

"How many more of there are you?" He bites out, face stony.

Nami puts her hands up in attempt to assuage Ace's temper. "Just one more person. None of us will hurt you, we just have to talk to-"

Brook decided that it would be a perfect time to pop up from behind Franky.

"Is everything okay, I heard a noise- AH! Luffy-san, Ace-san! You're awake!"

Almost on cue, both of the boys' mouths fall open at the site of the living skeleton. Luffy's eyes get that familiar sparkle in them and before Brook can say anything else, the young boy grabs Ace's shoulders and starts bouncing in place.

"Ace! Ace look! It's a skeleton! He's moving and talking! That's so cool! Hi Skeleton-ossan!"

Ace seems to be thinking something similar, because he looks at Brook with confusion and awe, the only non-guarded look on his face so far. The guarded expression quickly comes back, however.

"Yohohoho, good afternoon Luffy-san! How are you today? Would you like some music?"

Luffy smiles and looks like he's going to answer, when Ace sends him a /look/ and he closes his mouth with a pout. Robin takes that as a sign to intervene.

"Follow us onto the deck and we'll explain everything we can."

Franky, Usopp, and Brook take that as their cue to start backing up from the doorway, making their way to the deck. Nami and Chopper follow, while Robin smiles at the two boys, silently beckoning them forward. Ace and Luffy follow Nami and Chopper out hand in hand with Robin following them.

Zoro stands up and shares a look with Sanji, who rolls his eyes after a moment and exits back into the kitchen. Last in the room, Zoro follows the rest of the crew, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"...So," Ace starts after everything is explained to him. "The two of us are now seven years into the future and none of you have any idea how?"

Ace, Luffy, and most of the straw hat crew all sit on the deck, Sanji being the only one absent due to dinner being prepared.

Nami, Robin, and Chopper had explained the situation to the best of their ability, while Zoro, Usopp, Franky, and Brook would stay quiet for the most part, commenting on something when they saw fit.

"That's everything that we know." Robin says calmly.

Luffy tugs at the sleeve of his brother's shirt once to grab his attention. "Ace,they're telling the truth, I can tell! That's so cool! Hey, am I the Pirate King yet?"

Ace's jaw locks, knowing that Luffy could tell when someone was lying or not for the most part by now, despite knowing how gullible the boy could be a lot of the time.

But what if this really was just another time Luffy's gullibility decided to shine through?

Ace didn't trust these people. The story they had told was absolutely insane, something that only Luffy could believe.

Quietly, the fifteen year old began hatching a silent plan to himself.

* * *

After dinner, it was clear that both boys were still rather tired, especially when Luffy swallowed the last bit of his dessert and slumped in his chair, snoring away.

Chopper explained that to the crew that their bodies were still recuperating from whatever they had gone through.

Ace had picked Luffy up easily, glaring at the members of the crew who offered to carry Luffy for him in case his injuries were hurting him.

Before dinner, Nami had given the boys each a new set of clothes to wear; Ace was given one of Usopp's bright yellow shirts and dark shorts that fit him well enough, while Luffy was given his own blue shirt - or so they claimed- with an odd design on it and red shorts from Chopper that were nearly hidden underneath the shirt that almost covered his bony knees completely.

Franky had shown the two boys to the men's cabin and guided them to the hammock bunk beds.

Ace protested furiously when Franky scooped the boys up in his large hands and placed them on a top bunk.

"You little bros need a SUPER rest!" The odd blue haired man started, easily dodging the kick Ace sent his way. "Tomorrow we'll probably go into the forest! Good night!"

Ace watches Franky leave the cabin and looks at his younger brother, who sleeps away peacefully.

Idiot never really knew when to be catious, did he?

Something had been odd about that blue haired guy. The speedo was one thing, the fact that his hands were hard like metal was another.

And he wasn't even the weirdest member of this crew, that position going to the skeleton. (Or Luffy, if this really was his future crew.)

He lays down next to Luffy, fully intending to not fall asleep. However, the young boy automatically cuddles against Ace, throwing his arm around Ace's torso and hugging him close. The familiar warmth quickly makes Ace realize how tired he really is and he's out before he knows it.

* * *

Brown eyes open a few hours later and Ace yawns.

The first thing he sees is Luffy, who he has an arm around.

He hears Luffy's familiar soft snores, but soon his register others and quickly he remembers the situation the two of them were in and his plan.

A plan that he had nearly ruined.

Ace sits up carefully and looks over to the other bunks. Everyone is sleeping in their bunks, except for one. The skeleton - Brook, his mind reminds him - is not in a bunk.

Did living skeletons even need to sleep?

Brook had eaten dinner earlier that night, so maybe he actually did.

That however didn't explain where he was.

They're pirates, so maybe he's on watch? He thinks. They would have to be much more careful then.

Ace turns to Luffy and shakes him until he wake.

Dark blue eyes open slowly and Luffy groans sleepily, turning around to face Ace.

His older brother quickly puts a finger to Luffy's lips and his own when he sees Luffy trying to speak. Silently, he gestures to Luffy to follow him.

Skillfully, he climbs down from the bunk with little sound. Luffy noticeably makes more sound after making sure he has his hat, but it doesn't have much effect on the still sleeping crew.

Ace notices their shoes next to Usopp's bunk and hands Luffy's sandals to the boy, grabbing his own, and taking Luffy's hand and silently guides his younger brother out of the cabin.

When they're alone, Luffy speaks up, still sounding sleepy.

"Ace? What are we doing?"

Ace grins at his little brother.

"We're leaving this ship."

* * *

**Notes**: Ahh okay so chapter 2 is done~! Ace is having some trouble believing the crew... Hm, things should get cleared up sooner or later...

Ok, so chapter 3 should be out next weekend or Monday or Tuesday at the latest! I really wanna try updating every week...

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I should see you next week :')

-Sully


	3. Bonding

**Notes/Warnings**: YAY! Chapter 3~! I'm really happy to have this chapter done! Last chapter there was a bit of confusion! Again, I made a mistake and said that Ace and Luffy had been sent 5 years into the future... When they had really been sent 7. They are 12 and 15 and **this story is set Post-Timeskip**. I will elaborate more on the differences between canon in the next few chapters, but all in all it's an AU :).

Also, this chapter may seem a little bit different than the others (it's a bit drabble-y at some parts), but more info about that is on the bottom note! Also, uh, I'm kind of sick and I guess my mind isn't completely... Y'know clear. So if anything seems off or just plain odd... UH. Sorry. All in all, however, I like this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bonding**

* * *

After the words leave Ace's mouth, Luffy blinks and tilts his head to the side. The sleepy expression on his face giving off the impression that he thought his older brother was clearly crazy.

"Ace," the twelve year old whines. "I'm tired. I wanna go back to sleep."

"Shhh! God Lu, learn how to whisper! You can sleep after we leave the ship."

"But Ace, why are we leaving? I like it here."

Ace sighs, exasperated. "Luffy, their explanation didn't make any sense. Maybe they are trying to help, but what if they aren't."

"Eh? But you can tell that they are. Are you dumb?" His brother asks, owlish eyes blinking.

Ace's eye twitches and he punches Luffy on the head, not that the rubber boy feels it.

"Learn how to be more cautious, idiot!"

The fifteen year old sighs. He loved his little brother, really he did, but the little idiot really needed to learn how to watch over himself.

Well, not that Ace would let anything bad to happen to Luffy.

Luffy pouts at Ace and the teenager freezes. No matter what, Luffy's pouts or puppy dogs eyes would always manage to get the boy what he wanted.

"Ace, we should stay! They're telling the truth."

The older brother grits his teeth, feeling his resolve wane. "...You don't know that. What if they're really good at lying?"

Luffy opens his mouth to protest, when he is interrupted.

"Yohohoho, I thought I heard someone out here!"

Both Ace and Luffy's heads snap up, only to find Brook smiling at the two boys; how they could tell the skeleton was smiling, they weren't really sure.

"Ah, did I frighten you two? My apologies!"

"Hi skeleton-ossan!"

"Hello to you too, Luffy-san! Ace-san, why are you two out so late? I thought you would be asleep?" Brook asks curiously, kneeling down to get closer to the boys.

"Ace said we're leaving but I d-!" Luffy is unable to finish his sentence because Ace slaps his hand over his mouth.

"Luffy you idiot! You weren't supposed to tell him that!"

"Eh? Why were you leaving? Ah, did you not believe what the ladies and Chopper-san told you?" Ace freezes as the afro skeleton hit the nail right on the head. "I thought the wanted posters would have been enough proof."

Ace and Luffy both look at each other, blink, and turn back to Brook. "Wanted posters?"

"Luffy-san's wanted poster is hanging up on the wall, you didn't see it?"

No, they hadn't. Luffy had been sleeping and Ace half-asleep after all.

Luffy's eyes sparkle in excitement. "I have a wanted poster?! How big is it?!"

"Yohoho, your bounty is 400,000,000 and I believe Luffy-san has a copy of Ace-san's poster somewhere?"

Luffy's mouth is opened in awe, his eyes shining. The grin that quickly unfurls on his lips is wide and happy, like he had just discovered the best tasting piece of meat in the whole world. "Really?!"

Brook hums methodically in confirmation.

Ace's eyes are wide with shock. Unable to believe that his little brother would have such a big bounty. Yet, at the same time it felt almost natural. Even better yet, he apparently had a bounty too. (It had to be bigger than Luffy's.)

Luffy turns his happy grin to Ace and starts to bounce excitedly. The older brother doesn't bother to stop the younger, starting to feel the contagious happiness you couldn't help but feel when with Luffy. It even seems to be effecting Brook, who laughs along.

"I promise you two that we are trying to help you get back to your time." The skeleton starts after his laughter,clearly sincere. "We are your friends, after all!"

Luffy giggles happily and plops down on the floor across from Brook. The twelve year old grabs Ace's borrowed shorts, urging him to sit down next to him.

"Ossan, can you play music for me now?"

Brook laughs and and holds the guitar strapped to his chest a little higher. "Yohohoho! Of course! This is one I call 'New World!'"

As Brook starts playing, not too loud in case it wakes any of the crew up, Ace sits down next to Luffy.

Well, maybe the two brothers wouldn't be going off into the forest by themselves anytime.

While Ace didn't necessarily trust the rest of the crew... Brook wasn't that bad.

* * *

Nami wakes up early as usual the next morning, stretching her arms over her head as she walked on deck.

"Good morning." She yawns, toes digging into the grassy lawn.

"Good morning." Two voices reply, one sounding much younger and exciteable than the other.

Nami cracks open an eye and sees Robin sitting on her lawn chair and the younger Luffy sitting inbetween the older woman's legs.

A book sits on Robin's lap, a familiar looking picture book if Nami sees correctly. Her curious eyes meet the other woman's eyes, asking a silent question.

"Captain-san woke up early and asked if I could read him something when he saw me reading." Robin answers exactly what the 20 year old thought she would. Luffy seems to glow at being called Captain and honestly, it's adorable.

The Navigator smiles and walks closer. "What are you reading?"

Luffy bounces in the seat and begins to explain with the enthusiasm that stayed no matter the age. "Ooh, ooh! It's a story about this liar guy! He found a city of gold but when he went back with a king, the gold was all gone!"

Nami sits in her usual chair across from Robin's and grins at her younger captain. How was Luffy allowed to be _so cute_ when he was younger? And it was certainly nice to see that even if he was younger, Luffy was still open with them. "Really? I wonder how that's gonna end up."

Luffy makes a sound of agreement and nod his head before looking up at Robin, waiting for her to start telling the story that both women knew well once again.

The archaeologist giggles softly and smiles at the young boy in her lap and begins reading once more, now to an audience of two.

* * *

"Breakfast is done you shitty assholes, wake up!" The voice of the chef cuts through Ace's slumber.

Blinking, the smell of delicious food greets the fifteen year old, causing him to sit up. He looks to his side and realizes that, while the bed still smelled strongly of him, Luffy was already long gone and feels panic well up inside of him.

The freckled teen didn't like like Luffy not being near him while on this ship. He understands now that they were trying to help, but that didn't mean he trusted them.

The members of the crew roll out of bed and shuffle sleepily out of the room, Ace slowly jumping from the bed. His brown eyes automatically look at the wanted posters on the wall. Sure enough, an older version Luffy's stupid grinning face greets him.

After last night, Ace didn't have doubts that they were in the future. How, Ace wasn't sure. It was all too odd, but he had accepted it for the most part.

He starts to leave the room after Franky, when a voice stops him in his tracks.

"You tried leaving last night, didn't you?"

Ace turns around and looks at Zoro, who stands across from Ace. The way his eyes bore into Ace's left the younger teen feeling almost uneasy.

It was almost like the swordsman understood him perfectly without him even having to say a thing.

He was like Luffy in that aspect. Of course, Luffy knew things about Ace that another soul would never know. Similarly, he knew Luffy the same way. Ace preferred it that way. But still, Ace could see why this man would be on Luffy's crew.

The fifteen year old turns his head and crosses his arms over his chest. "Yeah, we were gonna, but we decided not to."

Ace can feel the eyes on him look away.

"We're going into the forest to see if we can find anyway to send you back to your time. C'mon, lets join the others before Luffy eats all the damn food."

Ace freezes and nearly dashes from the cabin when Zoro points out that last important factor. While he leaves he wonders, not for the first time, how they got into this situation and how they would get out of it.

* * *

When Sanji comes out on deck, a pack containing today's lunch slung over his shoulder, the first thing he see's is Usopp, Luffy, and Ace sitting in a loose circle.

"It was the power of the afro, I tell you!" Usopp raves, clapping his hands together up to the sky. "The Afro God blessed us on that day!"

Luffy seems to be buying every word that Usopp says, as usual. (Quickly, they had discovered that the only noticeable change Luffy had was his height.) Ace sits next to Luffy, looking amused by the whole story.

"It was so funky that it saved us all." Sanji cuts in, causing all eyes to fall on him, the sniper grinning at the cook. "Nami-swan wants me to get you two, we're going."

Luffy hops up excitably and runs over to Sanji. "I wonder what they'll have in the forest! Do you think there will be giant beetles?! Ace said bugs out in the Grand Line were probably HUGE!"

Sanji grimaces at the thought. While there hadn't been any visible giant bugs the first time they had gone into the forest, Sanji hadn't noticed any huge bugs. The cook hoped it stayed that way for his and Nami's sake. His younger captain, however, seems to be having the time of his life going on and on over all of the possible bugs in that forest.

Ace grabs Luffy by his rubbery wrist and drags him away from Sanji's legs. "C'mon Lu, you'll see once we're in the forest."

Luffy cheers and nods, following after Ace almost like a baby duck. "I hope it's like the forest back home!"

As the boys leave the deck, Sanji turns his back to Usopp, who just begins to stand up.

"Watch over the ship." Usopp had been voted to stay and watch over the ship while the rest of the crew went out into the forest, just in case.

"Find a way to get them back to themselves."

Sanji hums in agreement, raising a hand in farewell, leaving the ship to join his crew in the forest.

* * *

**Notes**: Aaaand... Done. I didn't think I'd get this chapter done in time, if I'm to be completely honest, but I got it done and that's all that matters~!

Okay, so this chapter is a bit easy-going as you can probably tell. There are some small instances of foreshadowing though. This chapter was important for building a little trust between the boys and the crew. Luffy included even if it's very slight, because while he knows that they're telling the truth, but he doesn't completely trust them yet. (He figures though that, if his older self chose these people as his crew, then they're probably really rad. But he doesn't know them himself, you know.)

Also, things are gonna get kind of... hm... Dramatic (I guess) in the next chapters so... Yeah.

I'm confusing myself so I'll go shut up and watch Hunter X Hunter now.

Chapter 4 should be out next Saturday or Sunday :) (Also, if you wanna follow me on tumblr *coughs* link is on my proflie)

Bye~ Sully


	4. Forest

**Notes:** Hi guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter took a little bit longer to post! I've been busy with school (and anime...) and I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter. I didn't want to force the chapter out, but even still it seems a little strained to me... It's a little shorter than the other chapters too, but it's still important! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: Forest**

* * *

"Ace, look at that! It's huge!" Luffy bounces, tugging at Ace's arm with one hand and pointing at a huge blue and purple bug with the other.

Nami sighs and drags a hand down her face. They had been in the forest for nearly twenty minutes now, but they had hardly gotten anywhere because Luffy liked to stop and point at nearly every bug he saw. And Ace is more than welcoming to go along with it, even though he clearly isn't as fascinated by the bugs as Luffy is. She was one excited cry about bugs away from snapping.

"Luffy, we need to go further in before it gets any later."

Robin was a saint, Nami had officially decided.

Luffy looks at Robin and pouts. Somehow, it has no effect on the woman.

"But Roooobiiin," he whines. "That's a really cool bug!"

The older woman chuckles and an arm sprouts from the ground to push him forward.

After Luffy stumbles forward a bit, he turns around to glare at whoever had pushed him, only to make a shocked face similar to Ace's. After all, it's not every day a hand suddenly sprouts from the ground.

"IT'S A HAND!" Luffy screeches in amazement. The hand waves at him.

"You aren't the only one with a devil fruit ability!" Chopper chirps at Luffy from his perch on Zoro's head. (The moment Luffy saw Chopper on said swordman's head, he had jumped up and down, saying that he wanted a ride too! Zoro would have scooped up his little captain up as well, but Franky had picked him up by the back of his shirt and placed him on his large shoulder. Of course, Luffy had sat on the shoulder for maybe five minutes before jumping off.) "I ate the Hito-Hito no mi!"

"And I the Yomi-Yomi no mi!"

"I ate the Hana-Hana no mi." Robin says calmly, letting the hand next to Luffy and Ace vanish into flower petals.

"They sound more useful than rubber." Ace teases quietly, but the whole group can hear it loud and clear.

"ACE!" Luffy pouts, glaring at Ace. If his goal was to look ferocious, it wasn't working out too well for him. If anything, he resembled a puppy who had gotten its toy stolen from it.

"You eat a devil fruit too, Ace!" Chopper says clapping his hoofs together.

Ace blinks and looks up at the small reindeer. "I did?"

Eating a devil fruit meant that he couldn't swim anymore. Ace knew that first hand from all of the times he has had to dive into the ocean to save Luffy from drowning.

If he couldn't swim anymore in the future, then he couldn't save Luffy from one of the things that endangered him the most, could he?

The thought leaves Ace uneasy, but he tries to brush it off as best as he can. Luffy's crew wouldn't let his brother drown.

(_"What if they aren't around? Luffy can't do anything to help himself in that situation. He would die and you wouldn't be able to help him." _whispers that one voice that always betrayed him.)

Ace swallows, but no one seems to notice his uneasiness. Or at least he thinks so.

"You eat the Mera-Mera no mi."

"...So I can control fire?" Ace says, raising an eyebrow. Fire was cool, especially controlling it.

"Yeah, but you're literally fire because of the fruit."

His brown eyes go slightly wide. That was even cooler.

"That's a lot cooler than rubber."

"HEY!"

Ace grins tauntingly at his little brother, but the look in his eyes lessens the effect.

_'If I have that in the future... Then maybe I can still protect him.'_

* * *

"Watch your step." Zoro says as he hops over a log, Chopper still on his head. Robin had recognized it as the log they had passed by the other day, Brook having had marked it with his sword on the way back as a guide.

Speaking of the skeleton, he was playing a tune on his guitar that left a smile on everyone's face.

Ace jumps onto the large log with ease, helping Luffy over once he does so.

"Don't fall over." Ace whispers to his little brother as he gets ready to jump down. Even if falling wouldn't hurt the boy, it was better if he didn't.

Luffy hums and nods his head, landing flat on his feet once he jumps. He doesn't let go of Ace's hand when they start to walk again however. If anything, he tightens his hold.

"We're almost where we found you two." Robin confirms softly from her place next to Franky.

"We should probably stop for lunch soon." Sanji speaks up, exhaling smoke. "I made something special for the ladies!"

"Yay, lunch!" Luffy cries out happily.

Ace's eyes narrow. The crew might not notice it, but Ace does. After all, he knew Luffy the best.

Something was off with the small 12 year old.

He still talked everyone's ear off and did so happily, but Ace knew that they were strained. Ace didn't think Luffy was doing it on purpose, but he still needed to get to the bottom of it.

When they find a spot to stop for lunch at a few minutes later, Ace leans over to whisper to Luffy, who had just let go of his hand.

"You okay, Lu?"

Luffy turns around to blink his big dark blue eyes at his brother. "I'm okay! I'm really excited for lunch!"

Ace sighs and rolls his eyes, knowing that Luffy wouldn't have understood his meaning right away. (He couldn't blame Luffy for being excited for lunch, however. Sanji's cooking was even better than Makino's cooking or the food in High Town.)

"Something's wrong; what is it, Luffy?"

The twelve year old tilts his head to the side, the straw hat that's still a little bit too big for him needing to be adjusted. "Well... I'm getting a weird feeling in my back? It's really tingly and weird and kind of cold. Do you feel that too Ace?"

Ace furrows his eyebrows and scoots a little closer to his little brother. "No I don't, but tell me if it gets any worse, okay?"

Luffy nods his head, a happy grin on his face as Sanji calls them over for their lunchboxes.

* * *

_(Solitude was suffocating._

_It pulled him under, stopped his breathing._

_Left him shaking and sobbing and begging._

_Begging and pleading with all he had for what he could no longer have.)_

* * *

"This is where we found you two." Robin says, kneeling down at the base of the tree so she can inspect it better. Nami joins her, running a hard through her long red hair. "Does any of it seem familiar?"

Ace's eyebrows furrow. "...A little bit, but I really don't know why."

It really was weird, but as they got to the tree he started to feel something like the weird feeling that Luffy had described, if not a bit more intense. Chills were running through his spine and coldness began to spread through his bones. An odd emotion began to settle in his stomach that Ace found familiar.

Loneliness.

It didn't explain why this tree in particular was familiar to him.

"What about you Luf- Luffy?" At Nami's change in tone, all members of the crew and Ace turn to look at the younger captain.

The twelve year old clutches at his straw hat. Luffy's bottom lip is trapped in between his teeth and what they can see of his face is pinched up, clearly uncomfortable. His shoulders are noticeably shaking.

Ace, who is closest to the boy, reaches out to touch his younger brother's shoulders. Everyone notices how Luffy flinches under his older brother's touch.

"Luffy?" Ace asks, shocked at Luffy's reaction and sudden change. All the while, the weird feeling is growing and growing inside of him.

His instincts are screaming at him to leave, but he denies them.

Finding out what's wrong with his little brother is far more important.

Luffy chokes on a sob, his knees shaking like they would give out any second.

"A-Ace... The feeling... It's a lot stronger." Tears stream from Luffy's eyes, which look absolutely terrified. Ace can't help but feel terrified himself seeing his little brother like this.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" Chopper says seriously, slowly coming behind from Ace. The whole crew present surrounds their little captain.

"The feeling! It hurts!" Luffy's words come out in a hysterical yell, a shaking hand reaching out to clutch Ace's shirt. "It's like... being alone."

_"Being alone is worse than being dead."_

The memory makes Ace gasp and without hesitation, he scoops his brother into his arms, holding the most precious thing to him as close as he possibly can.

"Nami!" Zoro barks as Ace scoops Luffy up. The navigator tenses and follows the first mate's silent command.

"Follow me!" Nami says, beginning to lead her nakama out of the forest. All of them follow without a moment's hesitation, needing to get their captain out of there as quick as possible.

All the while, the crying pre-teen clutches onto his brother as if he's a lifeline.

And Ace knew well enough by now that it wasn't far from the truth at all.

* * *

**Notes**: And it's done! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't kill me for ending it here? I'll try to get Chapter 5 out next weekend :)!

Also, I wanna thank all of you for the feedback you've given me so far! This already has more favorites and alerts than my other story 'Everyday' :o!


	5. Regroup

**Notes:** Hey! New chapter! I almost didn't get it out today! It might seem kind of filler-y so... sorry about that! Also uh, the Ace and Luffy interaction might seem a little... Non-brotherly if you squint... Maybe? It's probably obvious but it's unintended. More notes at the end :)

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: Regroup**

* * *

_(Don't leave it._

_Not again._

_After so much time being lonely, it couldn't be left alone again._

_Not when it had finally seen people once again._

_People that were warm. So, so warm and filled with what it lacked and desperatly hoped to gain._

_It didn't want to be alone anymore.)_

* * *

Before he opens his eyes, the first thing Luffy notices is that its warm.

Not too warm, but not cold at all.

(Nothing at all like the cold loneliness that chilled him right to his very core, clawing at him until he almost couldn't breath.)

There's someone next to him; someone that smells familiar.

Luffy smiles and snuggles a bit closer to his big brother who had crawled into the cot with him. It explained the warmth and why Luffy felt so at home.

It's so quiet in the room there in that Luffy can hear voices echoing outside, but he was unable to make out any words.

"Lu?" Ace whispers so quietly that the twelve year old wouldn't have heard it if he wasn't right next to his older brother. "You awake?"

"Mmn," Luffy confirms with a tiny nod. He pries his big blue eyes open and lets out a tiny yawn. "Goodmornin'… Wanna sleep more…"

"You can sleep soon. Are you okay?" Ace asks, still in a whisper. Luffy notices how worried he sounds and how his grip around the younger's waist had tightened a bit.

The twelve year old smiles and leans into the embrace as much as he possibly can. He stretches his neck out a little and presses a short, soft kiss to his older brothers forehead. "I'm okay now. I'll tell you later…."

Ace's cheeks flush a bit but after a moment he calms down. "…God you're stupid."

Despite himself, Luffy giggles, smiling at his big brother. "You'll be here when I wake up again, right?"

Ace gets a weird soft look in his eye and whispers, "Yeah. I'll always be here Lu, don't worry."

"Good." Luffy whispers, relaxing in his brothers grip. He can feel a pair of warm lips press against the top of his head and he smiles wider.

Ace was here and he would always be there.

Luffy even had a crew in the future that he could tell cared a lot about him.

He wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

The galley is unnaturally silent and serious than they had been in a while as the crew absorbs what Chopper had just told them.

Really, this had been happening more often than the crew would have liked.

"So, you don't know what's wrong?" Sanji breaks the silence, crushing his cigarette butt in the ashtray.

Chopper looks uncomfortable, but the small reindeer nods.

"He's no different than he was physically, but something is affecting him mentally."

"The forest affected him in some way… But how?" Robin voices out everything that the other crew members had been seeing. The black haired woman's eyebrows were furrowed in thought. All crew members could see that her mind was racing. It was very rare to see the calm and collected woman like so.

"We're going to have to wait for him to wake up." Zoro says, taking a sip of his ale.

"It has something to do with the forest. It could have been one of the plants, seeing as there were some odd looking ones. Or perhaps… This island isn't as deserted as we thought. I can try to find something in my books."

"Did you find anything on why they're younger?" Usopp asks softly.

Robin shakes her head. "No. I haven't found anything in my books. The most reasonable assumption is that a devil fruit has changed them. As for Luffy's reaction…"

Nami slams her hands on the table before silence can settle once more. "Well, it looks like we're just gonna have to wait until Luffy wakes up to find out! Robin, until then find whatever you can about the plants we saw! Chopper, get Luffy in the best shape you can get him in!"

The rest of the crew smiles at the fired up Navigator, each one of them getting a spark lit up in their eyes.

"Yeah!" The more excited members cheer, careful not to be too loud.

"Robin-chawn, would you like a delicious drink while you research?"

"Fufufu, I'm fine at the moment but if I need anything I'll let you know."

"Just call and your prince shall come!"

"Disgusting."

"SHUT YOUR TRAP YOU SHITTY MARIMO!"

"So you admit it?"

Nami rests her cheek in her palm, looking at her crew members with fond exasperation. Zoro and Sanji fighting, Franky raving on to Brook about how he'd make something super to kick whatever had harmed Luffy, while the skeleton tuned his violin that he had brought in with him, and Chopper leaving galley.

"Boys are such idiots." She sighs, but the smile on her face is undeniable.

"That's what makes us the Straw Hat Pirates." Usopp says from his spot next to her, grinning widely. And then the sharpshooter realizes what she had said. "OI, I'M NOT AN IDIOT TOO."

"Eh? Sure, why not."

* * *

"Can you explain what happened, Luffy?" Chopper asks about two hours later.

Roughly ten minutes ago Luffy had woken up with a start, going on and on about how he was starving. In almost no time, the crew was surrounding him, Ace was next to him, and a big plate of pasta was in front of him.

The fork on its way to the twelve year old's mouth pauses and he looks up at the crew.

"In the forest?"

The crew and Ace nods as one and Luffy puts the fork in his mouth.

"I dunno… I got really cold on the inside and I felt really lonely? Which was weird because all of you guys were there. Then we went in more it got worse and it felt like something heavy was on me and then it felt like I was in water kind of."

Robin is the first to react, humming and bringing a finger to her lips, her mind clearly racing.

"...Interesting."

"What is it Robin?" Zoro asks, leaning on the table.

"Well, if I'm correct, I can remember hearing something similar. Mostly folklore, of course, but..." The thirty year old pauses, still in thought. "I'll need to research more before I'm sure."

"Wait Robin, what do you think it is?" Nami counters as Robin stands up and gathers the books she had brought with her.

"It's better if I do not say, seeing as I'm unsure." the older woman says calmly, but her eyebrows are furrowed.

The look on the usually stoic woman's face in enough to get the crew to let her go.

Silence fills the air once more, except for the sounds of Luffy eating. Everyone wonders what it could possibly have been that made _Robin_ of all people look worried.

Chopper sighs and leans on Zoro. There was probably nothing else he could do to help in this situation.

The green haired swordsman pats him on the back and it makes him feel a little better.

Ace glares at the table. He really wished that the woman would have told them. As it was, he wanted to find whatever had messed with his brother and kick its ass.

A loud growl comes from his stomach, causing everyone to look his way.

In almost no time at all, Sanji puts a plate of pasta in front of him, with a smile on his face.

"There's enough to go around, eat up." Sanji leans back against the bar. "Robin-chan will find out what's wrong, don't worry."

Ace hesitates before taking a large forkful of his spaghetti. How could they tell him not to worry, Luffy was his most important person.

His brown eyes look around the table quickly. Worry is clear in everyone but Luffy's eyes.

So maybe he isn't the only one.

"Who wants to hear Captain Usopp's great adventure in the great desert country?!" Usopp cuts in, puffing his chest out.

"ME, ME!" Both Luffy and Chopper chirp, extending their arms in the air.

"Well it all started when..."

Ace only faintly listens to Usopp's story while he eats, focusing on his own thoughts.

Since they had been running to leave the forest to even now, the crew had been sending worried glances not only to Luffy, but to Ace too.

It was still odd to Ace, having people other than Luffy worry for him.

Ace had accepted that people wouldn't like him being of his lineage, not that he liked it. People would scorn him and threaten him without even realizing. No one that knew really showed they cared.

Until the rubber pre-teen had forced his way into Ace's life, sinking his claws into the older boy's heart and never letting go.

And, to Ace, that was more than perfect because he cared about Luffy more than anyone.

But still, it was nice having others to send you worried glances.

Zoro notices him staring off into space and catches Ace's attention by tapping his fingers twice against the table.

The scarred swordsman smiles at the fifteen year old and nods his head once.

Ace blinks but slowly, he smiles back.

* * *

**Note:** Okay... Chapter is done! I had troubles with this chapter too...

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT RESPONSE LAST CHAPTER? SEVENTEEN REVIEWS AND A BUNCH MORE FAVORITES? You guys are so sweet, I've been freaking out for the past week.

Next chapter should reveal some things... that you guys can probably guess OTL


End file.
